Alerts

2012

New York, March 15, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists holds
Syrian authorities responsible for the safety and well-being of Turkish
journalists Adem Özköse and Hamit Coşkun, who are believed to be in government
custody, and calls for their immediate release. The journalists were last heard
from five days ago, according to news reports.

Tags:

New
York, March 14, 2012--Azerbaijani authorities must carry out a swift investigation
into the ongoing smear campaign against journalist Khadija Ismailova, ensure
her safety, and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect
Journalists said today.

Tags:

New York, March 14, 2012--China has approved revisions to its
criminal code that grants police broad powers to hold journalists and others
who discuss sensitive national issues without chargein secret detention for up to six months, according to news
reports.

Tags:

New
York, March 13, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists hails the Mexican
Senate's landmark approval today of a constitutional
amendment that, if passed by a majority of states, would federalize anti-press
crimes and transfer investigative powers to national authorities.

Tags:

New York, March 13, 2012--After reviewing evidence in the 2011 killing of journalist Gerardo Ortega, the Philippine Department of Justice on Tuesday recommended that murder charges be filed against
ex-governor Joel Reyes in the local courts, news
reports said. In doing so, the department reversed an earlier decision not to pursue charges against Reyes.

Although the accused triggerman, Marlon Recamata, named Reyes
in the murder, a June 2011 Department of Justice investigation found his statement
unsubstantiated, news reports said. Ortega's supporters submitted new evidence
a few weeks later and petitioned for the department to re-investigate, reports said. After reviewing the evidence, the department issued a
recommendation on Tuesday for murder charges to be filed against Reyes in the
Regional Trial Court of Puerto Princesa City, according to news reports.

Tags:

New York, March 12, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists
condemns today's Angolan police raid at the independent weekly Folha 8, which was conducted in
connection with a politicized investigation into the publication of a satirical
photo montage. Officers confiscated all of Folha
8's computers, effectively crippling the operations of one of the country's
two remaining independent publications.

Tags:

New York, March 12, 2012--Philippine authorities must
immediately launch an investigation into the shooting of journalist Fernan
Angeles, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. CPJ is investigating
the motive in the attack, which left the journalist hospitalized in critical
condition today.

Tags:

New York, March 9, 2012--The Committee to Protect
Journalists calls on Liberian authorities to ensure the safety of journalists who
have been repeatedly threatened for exposing the practice of female genital
mutilation in the country.

Tags:

New York, March 9, 2012--Egyptian authorities should immediately
dismiss a baseless complaint of antistate activities that has been lodged against
several journalists, the
Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The case has been referred to
military prosecutors as part of a broader practice that has raised
constitutional and international concerns.

Tags:

New York, March 8, 2012--Guinean authorities must
investigate and bring appropriate charges against police officers who assaulted
a journalist at the Central Bank of Guinea, the Committee to Protect
Journalists said today. Reporter Kounkou Mara suffered head and other injuries
in the attack.

Mara, a reporter for the privately owned Le Lynx, was denied entry to the Central
Bank of Guinea on February 27 despite presenting her press identity card to
officers and saying she was scheduled to interview the bank's governor, according
to news
reports. Officials told her she posed a security threat to the bank
employees, then a commanding officer ordered her to be ejected, the journalist told
a local newspaper.